Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1887-02-18

Meantime the old soldier, Win mis-
faithful cloak wrapped closely round
him once more, was fighting his way
through the sharp winds and over the
moors again. But battle against some
thing a thousand times sharper and
colder was going on in his breast.
"A thief he was saying over and
over to himself, "me who fought close
to the side of the Iron Duke! And yet,
eau look one of chem in the face and
tell him he lies?'
The walk thar had been gone over so
merrily was terrible one 10 retrace,
and when the cottage was reached, in
stead of the pride and good luck the
poor invalds had been watching for,
CLEAN Geadier than the fever followed
him in. He sat in the doorway AS he
used, but sometimes he hung his head
on his breast, and sometimes started up
and walked proudly about crying:
Peggy. | say no one shall call me a
thief. | am soldier of the Iron Duke. :.
But they did call him thief, though,
for very strange thing, after bis lord
ship had rrowfully ordered the cot
tage and lttle garden spot to be searched
no box WAS found. and the gloom and
mystery grew deeper together.
Good nursing could not balance
against trouble like this; the beautiful
daughters faded and died, the house was
too gloomy to stay inside, and If he es-
capped to the door. he had to hear the
passers say
There sits the soldier who stole the
Rlucher diamonds from hisihost"'
And as if this was not enough, one
day the sound of hoofs was heard again.
and rider in uniform clattered up to
the door, saying:
"Comrade, am sent to tell you that
your pension is stopped. His Majesty
cannot count thief any longer SOL
1ier of his"
After this the old soldier hardly held
up his head at all, and his hair, that had
kept black as coal all these years, turned
white as the moors when the winter
SHOWS lay on them.
Though that is all the same, Peggy,
he used to say, "for il is winter all the
year round with me! Ii | could only
die as the old year does! That would
be the thing.
But long and merclless as the winter
is, spring does come at last, II we can
but live and fight our way through the
storms and cold.
One day cry of fire raised all the
countryside. All but the old soldier.
He heard them say the castle was burn
ing, but what was that TO him? Nothing
could burn away the remembrance that
he had once been called thief within
its walls! But the next morning he
heard n step-not horses hoOf this
time, but strong man walking hastily
towards him.
"Where is the veteran of WaterloO!"
asked his lordship's voice, and when the
old soldier stepped forward, he threw
his arms about his neck with tears and
sobs.
"Comrade," he said, "come up to the
castle The snuff box is found, and l
want you to stand in the very room
where it was lost while tell everyone
what a great aud sorrowful wrong
brave and honest soldier has suffered at
my hands"'
IL did not take many word: to explain.
In the first alarm of the fire the butler
had rushed to the plate closet TO save
the silver.
"Those goblets from the high shelf!
Quick I" he said, TO the f0otman who
was helping him, and with the haste
about the goblets something else came
tumbling down.
"The lost diamond snuff-box" cried
the butler. "That stupid fellow | dis
missed the day it disappeared, must have
put it there and forgotten all about -!
The fire was soon exlinguished, but
not wink Of sleep could his lordship
get until he could make reparation for
the pitiful mistake about the box; aud
once more the old soldier made his way
across the mo0rs, even the wooden leg
stepping proudly as he went along,
though now and then, as the old feeling
came over him, his white head would
droop for moment again.
The servants stood aside respectfully
as he entered the castle, and ttey and
the other guests Of that unlucky day
gathered round him while his lordship
told how the box had been found and
how he could not rest until forgiven by
the brave hero he had so unjustly sus.
pected Of wrong.
"And now" said the company, "wiIl
you not tell us one thing more5 why
did you refuse to empty your pockets,
as all the rest were willing TO doT
Because, said the old soldier, sor-
rowfully, "because / was n thief, and /
could not bear that anyone should dis
cover it All whom loved best In the
world were lying sick at home, starving
for want of the delicacies | could not
provide, and felt as If my heart would
break to see my plate heaped with lux
uries while they had not so mnch as a
taste! thought mouthfui Of what
did not need might save them, and when
no one was looking slipped some choice
bits from my plate between two pieces
OF bread and made way with them into
into my pocket. Icould not let them
be discovered for soldier Is too proud
to beg, but oh, my lord, he can 5ear be-
inn called a thief all his life better than